Which term describes the strong contrast of light and dark in painting?

• A. Underglaze painting
• B. Rotunda
• C. Tenebrism
• D. Vanishing point

Answer: (C)

Tenebrism is the dramatic treatment of light and shadow in painting, where sharply illuminated figures emerge from an overwhelmingly dark background, often with a single light source. This extreme contrast heightens drama, creates a strong focal point, and gives a sense of volume and immediacy, a hallmark of Baroque painting and artists like Caravaggio. The other terms don’t describe this lighting effect: underglaze painting is a ceramic decoration method, a rotunda is a circular, domed building, and a vanishing point is a component of perspective drawing. So tenebrism best captures the idea of strong light-dark contrast in painting.